Return to the Community
by Sakura1103
Summary: Jonas tells Gabriel about his Community, and they decide to go back.
1. A Dream

_I felt a bright, breezy day on a clear turquoise lake, and above me the white sail of the boat billowing as I moved along in the brisk wind._

"_Plane! Plane!" I called, and Jonas turned swiftly into the trees, though he had not seen planes in days, and he did not hear an aircraft engine now._

I woke up with a start. My room was so familiar, with its closed curtains of the morning, and a big bookcase near the door. But now, it seemed I had _another_ home, somewhere in the distance.

The closed door was pushed open, and Jonas walked in.

"Good morning, Gabe! Did you have a nice sleep? Any dreams worth talking about?" At the mention of talking about dreams, his eyes got glassy.

Jonas had claimed that he was my brother, and I couldn't doubt that. Why should I? I had no other clues, let alone any answers. But the difference between us was _enormous_… other than our eyes, of course. They were both the same pale shade that had _depth_. However, he had dark brown hair, while my golden curls bounced around. Also, I always wondered why we didn't have any parents… Jonas had told me that they had abandoned us when we were younger.

"Good morning, Jonas. You could say that I had an OK sleep… however I had a dream."

At this, Jonas perked up.

"A dream…?"

"Yeah. I was pointing at a bird in the sky, calling it a plane. You hurriedly biked into some nearby trees… you seemed very scared…"

"Ah…"

"That's near the end… another part was when this grown-up… I had no idea who he was, anyway, he was taking me on a bike… it seemed the same bike; to a place he called 'his dwelling.' And… there was something else. A sail, oh, Jonas, it was _beautiful_."

"Ah…well, Gabe…"

"Yeah?"

"I have been keeping a secret from you all these years now… for around fourteen years now, I believe…"

"I was only two back then."

"Yes."

"And?"

"Never mind. I'll tell you some other time."

That was how that particular morning went. For the rest of the week, Jonas was distant, as if remembering a long ago memory.

One day, I could hold it no longer.

"Jonas! Come on, tell me!"

"Tell you what?"

"You know… 'I have been keeping a secret from you all these years now… for around 14 years now, I believe…'"

"Oh. That."

"Yeah! That!"

"Well…" Jonas paused, unable to go on.

"Jonas, don't tell me that that's the whole story. That's not. I know it. There's more."

Jonas cleared his throat.

"Uh, well… I used to live in…"

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><p><strong>Ok guys, this is my first story... i have no idea why i did a chapter story for my first fan fic... but whatever.<strong>

**but anyway, i know it's kind of stupid, and i think that it gets stupider as it goes on... but once again, whatever.**

**and, once again, this is my first fanfic, so no flames please, no matter how bad it is...**

**thanks! and enjoy**


	2. New Information

"Uh, well… I used to live in a place that's… different, I guess…"

"Different?" I was irritated that Jonas would use such a _vague_ term… there's lots of different _differences_. Well, they _have_ to be _different_ to be different… you know?

"Yeah… different. We didn't have any feelings or memories… like a sliding down a hill, sunburn… or _love."_

"What? No love? How did families live then?"

"Out of routine. Two people, a male and a female, would get put together by observing people; it was called the Matching of Spouses. They would get assigned a dwelling, and every year at December, there would be a ceremony. This was when family units could get assigned a 'newchild.'"

"_Assigned?"_

"Yes, assigned."

"In health class at school, we learned-"

"We didn't know about that. At all."

"Oh."

"Anyway, every December, newchildren would become a One, a One would become a Two, a Two would become a Three, a Three would become a Four, and so on. There would be ceremonies every December that ages… I guess it's sort of like a birthday. Every time you age, you would have to perform an action that shows growth. For example, Fours, Fives, and Sixes would have jackets that would zip down the back, so the children would help each other dress and learn interdependence. Sevens would get their own front-buttoned jacket. Eights would get jackets with pockets, showing that they are now mature enough to keep track of their own belongings, and as an Eight, you would start volunteering hours. Nines would get their own bikes, which was the excitement to every Nine. The female Nines would also get rid of their hair ribbons. The Tens would all cut their hair, however, Elevens were different. Nothing much would happen. But almost _everything_ would happen once you're a Twelve. Twelves would get assigned an assignment… their _job_, basically."

"You get your job when you're _twelve_?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wow."

"Yeah, there were many jobs… such as Nurturer, Instructor, Fish Hatchery Attendant, Director of Recreation, Doctor, Engineer, Caretaker of the Old, Birthmother-"

"_Birthmother_? Does that mean they have to…do _it _with random people?"

"Gabe!"

"Anyway, what were you assigned?"

"I wasn't assigned."

"You weren't?"

"No. I was _selected _to be the next Receiver of Memory."

"What's that?"

"It's the person that keeps the memories of the old times alive, but sometimes through physical pain, which we had never felt before."

"Oh."

"And through the last Receiver, who allowed me to call him 'Giver,' I learned about so much _more_ than I had _ever_ hoped. Giver was more of a father to me than anybody.

"Through Giver, I learned to see colors, to hear music… to feel _love_."

"Wow."

"Yes. Wow. That's why it broke my heart to leave him."

"Why did you have to leave him?"

"Because you were going to get released."

"Released? What's that?"

"You get injected… and then you die."

"Die…?"

No words were needed. By running away from the life that Jonas had always known, he had saved _me_. Why? What was so special about me? Why did he save me? Why did he leave his old life to save me?

As if reading my thoughts, Jonas said gravely, "Because leaving a young baby to die is cruel. Because my community had to be shaken to reality. Because children means _life_. The only way for life to go on is to keep children alive. Besides, I would have starved, staying in the community."

Starved of knowledge, probably. Suddenly, I had an outrageous idea.

"Let's go back."

"Back? Why?"

"I don't know… just to see what it's like there now?"

"I don't know, Gabe…"

"Yeah, come on! Also, you owe it to me to show me your old life."

Silence.

"I guess…"

Well, that was easy.

I ran up the stairs.

"Hey, Gabe, where are you going?"

"What do you think, Jonas? I'm packing!"

"Packing?"

"Well, duh! If we're going on a trip, we have to pack!

"I suppose…"

"Come on! Let's leave tonight!"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, tonight!"

"Tomorrow morning," Jonas said, with an air of finality that told me not to argue. He probably just wasn't ready to meet his family and friends again.

"Tomorrow morning… I'm not ready yet… I was _lonely_ there…"

"Lonely?" But he was surrounded by such an _orderly_ community with so much people… how was it lonely?

"Only Giver and I had feelings… everybody else thought nothing about anything."

"Well, you could go back and see Giver!"

"I don't know…"

Why? How come?

"Ok, anyway, tomorrow morning, Jonas, OK? Promise?"

Jonas looked up at me and smiled, showing the happiness that he had never known before.

"Promise."

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><p><strong>Ok... still not very good... and not going to get very good, i'm afraid.<strong>

**oh well. enjoy when you can.**


	3. Journey

The next day dawned to be nice and sunny. _It'll be nice to meet Jonas's childhood…_I searched for a right word. _Acquaintances, _I decided. Jonas mentioned that they weren't exactly _friends._

It was a weekend, and I knew that Jonas would always sleep in on a weekend. I ran to his room.

"JONAS!"

No answer.

"Jonas? You there?"

"What?" His voice hoarse from what I knew to be crying. He had cried like this before. I was used to it. But, now I think that I knew what he was crying about.

"We're still going, right?"

"I gave you my word, didn't I?"

I couldn't help it. I smiled. I really wanted to know what Jonas's past life was like… I don't know why, but it just seemed so… I don't know. It seemed that I was placing the last few puzzle pieces in a puzzle… pieces that somebody had hid somewhere, and then finally gave them back again, and then the glory… the glory of putting that puzzle together, and then finally seeing the finished product, the beautiful picture.

Within an hour, we were on our way. I saw the hill in our backyard on our way out.

"That hill is where I was found with you, cold and starving, by the family that used to live where we live. We were found on Christmas, and that was the night I heard music," Jonas paused, as if looking back at the memory. "For the _first_ time. And then I thought I heard music behind me, from where I left. I saw lights, felt _love._"

"Oh." It seemed like such a lame response to Jonas, who was pouring most of his heart out to me right now.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

The rest of the trip went by in semi-silence. There was the occasional "I'm hungry," or "I got to use the bathroom… urgent." But other than that, there was no idle chat.

Within a few hours, we were going through a forest, full of wild creatures. There were birds and deer and bears. Some trees in the distance swayed as a flock of geese took flight, going home, like us. The road was bumpy, but after a while, it gradually became smooth, and Jonas said something about "the road crews" of before.

Soon, we arrived. Gradually, we noticed that there seemed to be more houses and fewer trees. Then, without any notice, there everything was. Jonas pointed out the many buildings; the Childcare Center, the Department of Justice, the Rehabilitation Center, the Auditorium, the House of the Old. He seemed to be drowning in a sea of memories.

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><p><strong>See? it's not good... at all...<strong>

**and then ppl say that i'm putting down myself, and i am...**

**bit anyway, i have everything all done already... i just don't want to post it all at once... or maybe i should...**

**hmm...**

**anyway, enjoy (even though it's still kind of bad... hehe)**


	4. Arrival

We stopped in front of the House of the Old. Jonas started walking to the back, and I followed closely, afraid of getting lost.

And then we were in front of a plain looking door. There's nothing special about this… but then why was Jonas looking at it with such a… it was like looking at your baby sister or something… very tender.

Slowly, Jonas pushed open the door. It was a small room, with a bed and a table and a chair. But the remarkable thing was all the _books_. All four walls were covered in books, equaling the amount of half a library.

"This way!" A voice from the outside called cheerily.

And then an old lady walked in, followed by a young woman with bright red hair.

Jonas and the woman with red hair were surprised. Anybody would be able to see it. It was all within a second, though, and after that, everything returned to normal. Well, almost normal.

"Uh… well, um… welcome to our Community." Red-Hair-Lady stuttered.

"Well, isn't this the one and only _Jonas_ who ran away fourteen years ago!" The old lady hid nothing.

"Um… yeah…"

"And why did you come back, Jonas?" Red-Hair-Lady said calmly, but not concealing her surprise very well. "Why?"

"Gabe wanted to see the home he was in for his first two years of life."

Silence.

I couldn't stand it anymore. "Hey, um… let's go…" I stopped. Where _could _we go? There was _nowhere _to go for me. I had only just arrived, and how could anybody expect me to remember anything of my first two years of life?

It was a failed attempt to thwart awkwardness.

"Where is Giver?"

"Excuse me? Giver? Who's Giver?" Red-Hair-Lady asked.

"The last Receiver, Fiona."

Oh, so her name is Fiona.

"He's… he's trying to explain to the Chief Elder how he did nothing wrong."

"After fourteen years, they're still after him? What are they doing to him?"

"They're…they're angry, Jonas."

"And quite right, too. You little lads thought that you can just run off and leave all of _us_ to bear the pain." The old woman sniffed indignantly.

"And they're always doing awful things to him… oh Jonas…"

I was confused. What awful things? I thought that this was a peaceful Community… I thought that they couldn't feel feelings… then how could they be _angry_?

"Awful things?" Jonas seemed very anxious. He ran out the door, not seeming to remember that I was there.

I ran after him, and Fiona called me back, but I didn't stop.

We entered the House of the Old, and I watched in horror as an old man endured a lashing.

Jonas, without thinking, ran forward, accepting the lashing for himself. The room suddenly went quiet as everybody realized who the young man was.

"Jonas…" The old man mumbled feebly.

"If you'll excuse me, now." Jonas seemed calm, but I knew better. There was probably an ocean of feelings, raging inside his heart. He gently helped the old man up, and walked out the door. Nobody stopped them, and as if time had slowed, each and every one of their eyes slowly followed Jonas helping the old man out. I followed.

Jonas had helped the old man back into the small room full of books.

"Giver, is there anything I can do for you?"

Oh. So _he _was Giver.

"Jonas… I have energy left to transmit one more memory to you… and that's what I shall do… soon, they will release me, and then I will be able to be with Rosemary… That young man over there can receive the memory, too," Giver was motioning to me.

Jonas pulled me to the bed, and told me to take off my shirt. I did so. Then he told me to lie down on the bed. Jonas helped Giver up, and then he took off his shirt and lied on the bed, too.

I felt Giver's hands feebly rest on my back, and then I was gone.

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><p><strong>Ok... so yeah! This is the fourth chapter... not very nice, i know, but whatever.<strong>

**please, no flames! thanks!**


	5. Courage

_I saw a sharp drop. And then I noticed a girl, hanging on the steep rock cliff. _

_There was an overwhelming sea of feelings. I knew I should go help her, but I was scared for my own life. And then, why _should_ I go help her? She was nothing to me, I didn't even know her. I should hang on to my own life when I could… but she probably had a family, too. How would her family feel if she were just to disappear, just because a selfish young boy had decided not to help her?_

_Swallowing up my fear, I advanced toward the young girl. She had a wild-eyed and scared look, and she seemed to be hopeful as I came closer. I reached out my hand, and she gripped it tightly. Slowly, then, I pulled her to safety._

_And then I felt something… I can't place my finger on it, though…_

"That was called courage. Courage is when you bottle up your fear, and you do something that you know is right, but may not necessarily be easy. Bravery."

With that, he left. Jonas made no attempt to go after him.

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><p><strong>I don't know if i portrayed "courage" the way it's supposed to be, if you have any suggestions, tell me, because i really don't like the way i put courage...<strong>

**hmm... the Sudoku Kid told me not to put myself down, so, i'll try not to.**

**anyway, i think theres 2 more chapters left... please enjoy!**


	6. A Meeting

We stayed the night in the room with the books. They next morning, Jonas was nowhere to be found.

Nervous, I walked out, to be met by mobs of people, seemingly angry.

"Um… Sir, could you tell me-"

"You!" And with that, he pushed me forward. People noticed me, and in an angry rush, they pushed me forward and forward, until I slowly progressed to the front of the mob.

I was in front of the Auditorium. The doors were open, and I could easily peer through. There was Jonas, standing on an empty stage, alone. Hurriedly, I ran up to him, and when I turned and looked at the crowd standing at the door, I suddenly felt very vulnerable. Very vulnerable.

At first, he was only talking to me.

"Gabe… These people are angry. They never were angry before. They don't know how to be angry."

As the front of the crowd noticed his lips moving, for whatever reason, they fell silent.

"We left, and when we left, everything that I had learned for the past year came back to the Community and tormented them."

Silence is contagious. Slowly, the entire crowd became as silent as stone, barely catching his words, spoken without a microphone.

"You probably had no idea how to handle this. You probably lashed your anger out on the only person that could be held responsible, Giver."

Nobody needed to ask who Giver was. They all knew.

"Giver probably helped you as best as he could, like an adult teaching children their first steps. But, still angry, you still held him responsible. Gradually, you recovered. You returned to your old style of life, but now, you were feeling. You accidentally poke yourself with a pencil. It hurts. You know what hurt feels like. No Relief of Pain can make real pain go away.

"Giver lost his daughter. He watched her Release herself, watched her die. That's what real pain really is. Losing something."

Jonas was crying.

"But pain can be healed. Real happiness can help it go away. But all of you were in a world oblivious to that. And now you're here, and nobody can help you go through life anymore. You are now drifting alone in a galaxy of stars so close… but so far away. You have never known life, even though it has been given to you when I left. You have never known real happiness, real pain, real laughter, real tears. You have never known _anything_."

With that, Jonas walked out of the Auditorium. I watched, and soon after he left, the crowd dispersed.

Slowly, I trudged back to the room of books. Maybe coming back wasn't such a good idea after all.

Jonas was in the room.

"Let's go." He seemed so tired.

"Ok."

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><p><strong>umm... well, this chapter is a bit... mushy, i guess.<strong>

**i've been told to write longer chapters, but since this one fanfic has already been thoroughly written through, i'll try my best on later fanfics.**

**second to last chapter! enjoy!**


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